This Week in Food News: The Fast Food Edition

1 Written by Marisa Miyasaki on August 10, 2012 – 5:00 am

Photo by Susanne Davidson

The fast food industry saw a lot of excitement this week in the form of a mysterious benefactress, a parfait burglar, and more. Read below for the dish on what you may have missed!

In Newcastle, CA, a woman anonymously paid everyone’s lunch tab at Denny’s. The woman, who was accompanied by two young children, approached Denny’s manager Seto Avakian with her generous proposition. The total bill came to about $300, with a $40 tip. The touching act warmed the hearts of Avakian and scores of lucky diners. Avakian swore to secrecy that she would keep the woman’s identity a secret, and has kept true to her word–her identity remains a mystery to us all. Since the news broke, Avakian has commended her actions, and revealed that she had “never seen one act ring so much joy to so many.” We hope to see this story inspire more random acts of kindness!

When a burglar’s attempt to walk away with the McDonald’s cash register failed, he ended up settling for a handful of yogurt parfaits. In Evansville, IN, Christopher McGlauflin broke through McDonald’s windows with every intention of stealing money out of the cash register. When he couldn’t yank the register loose from the counter, he decided to go for the next best thing—yogurt parfaits. Grabbing as many as he could, McGlauflin fled the scene of the crime, only to be caught hours later. A police officer reviewing the surveillance footage recognized McGlauflin from a previous run-in, and as luck would have it, McGlauflin “happened to be walking by at that moment—covered in broken glass.” The now infamous parfait thief has been arrested and charged with burglary, theft and criminal mischief.

Overseas, Wendy’s menu has been upgraded with some sophisticated additions. With the introduction of a lavish lobster and caviar burger, Wendy’s menu is upping the ante for their Japanese market. The new haute burgers are priced at about $16, and are only available for a limited time. Wendy’s Japanese menu presents a stark contrast to their American menu, which is priced predominantly in the $5 to $6 range. Lavish ingredients are not new to Japanese Wendy’s customers either; in 2011, Wendy’s debuted a foie gras and truffle sauce burger. Such extravagant menu offerings have suggested that Wendy’s is “betting heavily on foreign expansion.” Do you think American Wendy’s restaurants should roll out more sophisticated menu items? Weigh in below!

Have a great weekend!